Alleged link with Boko Haram: Court strikes out Ndume’s plea •Commonwealth speakers condemn killings in Kenya, Nigeria

THE Court of Appeal, Abuja division, on Wednesday, struck out the motion filed by Senator Mohammed Ndume, seeking to stay his trial before the Federal High Court siting in Abuja, over his alleged link with the Boko Haram sect.
The development was sequel to an application brought by Ndume through his counsel, Ricky Tarfa, seeking to withdraw the motion.
It will be recalled that Ndume had appealed the ruling of Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the High Court, which admitted some exhibits against him, while the prosecution opened its case.
The panel of three justices of the appellate court, led by Justice Amir Sanusi, struck out the motion after it was withdrawn by Tarfa and adjourned till November 1.
Ndume was accused, among other charges, of sponsoring  members of the Boko Haram sect.
The senator, however, denied all the charges when read to him and was admitted to bail by the trial judge at the lower court.
Ndume had approached the Court of Appeal to set aside the ruling of the trial judge, who admitted in evidence DVDs containing  alleged conversation between him and spokesman of the Boko Haram sect, Ali Konduga.
He prayed the court to expunge the admitted evidence from the record, on the ground that the judge erred in law when he admitted non-admissible documents, which the senator described as fundamental to his case.
At the last adjourned date, his motion for stay of proceedings could not be entertained by the court, following the sudden objection to the motion brought by the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, the Conference of Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers has passed a resolution condemning the killing of people at a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya and the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, Nigeria by suspected terrorists.
“The Conference of Commonwealth Speakers and Presiding Officers recalls that the dignity and sanctity of human lives, as well as the imperatives of combating terrorism has always been high on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association agenda.
“It, accordingly, condemns this barbaric terrorist attacks on the peace-loving peoples of the Republic of Kenya and Nigeria.
“The conference calls on Commonwealth Parliaments yet to adopt or domesticate the United Nations (UN) Conventions on terrorism, particularly the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, to urgently do so.”
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